According to traditional Yoruba beliefs, a pantheon of deities, known as orisa, and other spiritual forces are instrumental in determining the course of events in the lives of individuals on Earth. Still practiced today, Ifa divination is a way for people to communicate with these powers and determine how best to live their lives. (Courtesy Eskenazi Museum of Art.)
Want to see the Ifa tray's details close-up? Click here to see the engravings along the edge.
A priest, or babalawo, performs divination for a client, marking on a tray such as this the configurations resulting from throwing palm nuts or a divination chain. After a number of throws, the pattern that emerges directs the priest to one of 256 verses in the body of oral literature associated witph Ifa. While the god Orunmila, also known as Ifa, is credited with teaching people Ifa divination, the face of Esu, messenger between gods and people and a trickster, is the deity typically positioned at the top of a divination tray, as in this example. Other images carved in relief around the border vary from tray to tray and depict figures and motifs associated with divination, with deities, and with daily activities. (Courtesy Eskenazi Museum of Art.)
This carved bowl is called an agere Ifa, and the Yoruba people traditionally use it alongside Ifa trays and other tools in the process of divination. Most Ifa tools, including the tray in IU’s collection, are carved from wood. However, this agere Ifa made primarily of ivory, suggesting that it belonged to a high-ranking priest or royalty.
The detailing on Ifa tools was often unique to local carving centers. The designs on this vessel have been traced to Owo, a center at the far-eastern edge of Yorubaland. How do craftsmen today distinguish their products from others?
Ifa Divination as Intangible Cultural Heritage- UNESCO
In 2008, UNESCO classified Ifa divination as a form of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The practice is now preserved and protected under UNESCO support. Here is an article and video, both from UNESCO, discussing it and its role in West African spirituality.
The spirituality of Africa- Harvard Gazette
West African Religion in Maryland- Baltimore Sun
As the African community continues to expand in the United States, African culture is becoming a more common topic in the news. Here are two articles from the Harvard Gazette and the Baltimore Sun, which discuss the growth of African spirituality in two different regions of the African diaspora.
